Notched tillage disc with radially projecting teeth



July 16 1963 H. L. GILLEsPlE I 3,097,704

NOTCHED TILLAGE msc WITH RADIALLY PROJECTING TEETH Filed July 50, 1962INV ENTOR BY Y ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,097,704 NOTCHEDTILLAGE DISC WITH RADIALLY PROJECTING TEETH Howard L. Gillespie, 415 E.Steadman, Anthony, Kans. Filed July 30, 1962, Ser. No. 213,264

Y 1 Claim. (Cl. 172-540) This invention relates to `soil-working toolsand particularly to a harrow disc combined with a further soil tillagedevice.

In brief, the invention comprises a more or less conventional h-arro'wdisc having .a scalloped periphery, that is with relatively wide notchescut into its periphery, and with chisel means secured to the disc toproject radially therefrom through the central portions of the notches.The chisels yextend outwardly at least to the periphery of the disc andpreferably somewhat beyond that point so as to enhance the operation ofthe disc itself and to further yagitate and aerate the subsoil whilediscing the surface soil. An ordinary disc harrow operates on thelprinciple of cutting `action applied to the surface of the soil,partially :sh-redding surface vegetation and embedding such vegetationin the soil to help halt erosion and to improve the humus content of thesoil. 'Ille ordinary subsoil chisel is designed :and operated forbreaking up `a tight soil or for penetrating the soil deeply enough todestroy the surface pans. The invention herein combines the function ofIboth the disc harrow and subsoil chisel to perform both of theabove-noted Ifunctions. in a single operation. The slicing -action ofthe disc in conjunction with the chisel tends to improve the operationof lboth functions. The chisel opens a furrow which permits the disc tocut vegetation more efliciently and with less weight on the disccarriage. At the same time the chisel, projecting ybeyond the radius ofthe disc, provides a break in the soil against which the sharpened edgesott the disc can more elliciently cut.

According to the present disclosure, the chisel is mounted on the discin such a manner that it can be adjusted radially to regulate its depthof penetration and is further provided with means whereby an auxiliarychisel may be attached thereto to further modify its action toaccommodate to moisture content and other soil conditions. While theaccompanying drawings and description are directed to a flat planardisc, it is to be understood that the invention is equally applicable toconcave or other disc-s.

It is, therefore, 1an object of thi-s invention to provide asoil-working device combining the functions and advantages of a dischan-ow and subsoil chisels.

Another object is `to provide a device or the typeset forth wherein thedisc and chisel mutually enhance the action of each other.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a combined discharrow and chisel `adapted to lbe regu-lated to change the depth andnature of the subsoil chisel action.

A further object is to provide a tool of the type set forth that isextremely simple and economical to manufacture yet reliable andeflicient in operation.

Still further objects and advantages will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art as the description proceeds with reference to theIaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. l is a side elevational view of one preferred embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG.l;

FIG. 3 is .a fragmentary elevational view of a portion of anotherembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is :a .fragmentary view of the peripheral portion of a stillfurther embodiment.

Referring iirst to FIG. 1, numeral 2 indicates a harrow ice disc of aconventional configuration having a square or other opening 4 at itscenter for mounting in the usual manner on a `disc harrow shaft. Thedisc 2 is of substantially circular shape having a peripheral cuttingedge 6 provided with equally spaced notches or concavities 8 therein ofsubstantial peripheral extent. Thus `far the disc 2 is more or Ilessconventional and may :be either a at disc or a concave disc, asis wellIknown.

A plurality of chisel members 10 are secured to the disc 2 by |beingbolted to one face thereof to extend laterally of lthe ydisc ythroughthe central portion of the notches or concavities 8. Each chisel 10,which may Ibe referred to as a subsoil tillage member, is provided witha sharpened leading edge 12 and a forwardly directed hooked portion 14consitituting a soil Working portion at its outermost end.

FIG. 2 shows the manner in which the chisels are secured to the disc 2Iwherein the disc is provided with a series of openings 16 therethroughin line with the central radius through the notches 8. A plurality of'bolts 18, extending through aligned -openings in the chisels 10 anddisc 2, secure the assembly in the illustrated relationship. It ispreferred that a backing plate 20 fbe interposed between the bolts andthe disc 2 in the side of the disc opposite the chisels 10 to furtherstiften the apparatus and to provide for more secure clamping. As shownby dotted llines in FIG. l, the chisel 10 may vbe secured to the disc 2in the full line position or may Ibe moved radially outwardly to thedotted line position by employing different bolt holes to thus projectthe Working portions of the chisels farther outwardly than the normalcircular periphery of the disc 2. Even in their innermost positions ofadjustment, the chisels y10 extend outwardly at least to the circularperiphery of the ldisc 2 and preferably a slight distance therebeyond.

FIG. 3 Ishows an auxiliary chisel velement 22 bolted to the outer faceof the chisel 10 and provided with an outer working portion 24 radiallyoutwardly of and `disposed laterally with regard to the working portion14 of the chisel 10. By means 1of such :an attachment, the effectivedepth of penetration of the chisel is increased and a wider zone ofaction is provided whereby to effect a different type of subsoil workingthan is accomplished with the chisel 10 alone. The working portion 24 isan integral end of attachment 22 that is twisted to extend laterally ofthe plane Iof the disc to Ithus provide a broad chisel edge.

FIG. 4 illustrates a further type of attachment 26 bolted to the chisel10 and having a working portion 28 at its outer end similar in shape tothe working portion 14. However, this attachment permits extending theeffective depth of working of the chisel to a subsoil level greater thanthat possible with the chisel 10 alone.

The soil working implement made up of combined discs land chisels asdisclosed herein is operated in the usual and normal manner by pullingthe same over the ground in such direction that the discs rollforwardly, toward the left Ias seen in FIG. l. During those interval-swhen only the cutting edge 6 of a disc is lowermost, the action issimply that of a disc harrow for a short distance. However, when theforward end of a cutting edge portion 6 is lowermost, the juncturebetween that edge and a notch 8 serves somewhat as a fulcrum #or pivotalcenter for the working portion 14 of the associated chisel to force thesame deep into the soil and rearwardly. This action is repeated for eachchisel on each disc .and 4it has been found that a more efficientsoil-working can be vaccomplished with this novel combination than waspreviously possible.

While the specific embodiments shown are described as being boltedtogether and the tillage attachments are referred to as chise1s, it isto be understood that the attachments may be riveted, welded orotherwise secured to the disc and/or each other and that they may takeother forms not properly described as chisels While a limited number ofembodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, it isto be understood that the same are merely exemplary and that theinvention may be embodied in other forms falling within the scope of theappended claim; for example, two discs may be provided for each unit`and the chisels sandwiched or clamped betweenrthe discs.

I claim:

A `soil-Working device comprising: a 4circular' cutting disc having acircular periphery adapted to roll on the earth; a plurality of notches,not exceeding `four, in the periphery of said disc, the peripheralextent of each notch being of the order of one-eighth the circumferenceof said disc; a soil lcutting tillage member for each notch, each memberbeing secured to said disc and extending radially thereof, substantiallycentrally of its notch, and extending outwardly beyond the circularperiphery iof `said disc.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,300,446 Fidler Nov. 3, 1942 2,477,662 Seaman Aug. 2, 1949 2,732,785Kleppc Jan. 31, 1956 2,757,596 Adels Aug. 7, 1956 3,008,527 StohlmannNov. 14, 19611 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,040,837 France May 27, 1953 1,074,307Germany Ian. 28, 1960

